Real bummer! Medical weed can help you work hard until you die: study

Emma Spears - thegrowthop.com Posted 5 years ago
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A new study published by the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management has found a correlation between regions with legalized medical cannabis and a reduction in pain and increased number of working hours completed by older adults (which the survey defines as age 51 and over).

 

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The study analysed over 100,000 surveys completed by participants between 1992 and 2002. The authors noted a “4.8 percent decrease in reported pain” and a “6.6 percent increase in reported very good or excellent health” among survey respondents diagnosed with a health condition that would allow them to qualify for medical cannabis in their state, versus respondents in states where medical cannabis remained illegal. Researchers also discovered a 7.3 percent increase in full-time work among individuals who qualified for medical cannabis.

1a GettyImages 1052410978 TGO e1553178928644 Real bummer! Medical weed can help you work hard until you die: study

Researchers discovered a 7.3 percent increase in full-time work among individuals who qualified for medical cannabis.

“Three principle findings emerge from our analysis,” reads the study. “First, active state medical marijuana laws lead to lower pain and better self‐assessed health among older adults. Second, state medical marijuana laws lead to increases in older adult labor supply, with effects concentrated on the intensive margin. Third, the effects of MMLs are largest among older adults with a health condition that would qualify for legal medical marijuana use under current state laws.”

The analysis goes on to state that “findings highlight the role of health policy in supporting work among older adults and the importance of including older adults in assessments of state medical marijuana laws.”

“Our study is important because of the limited availability of clinical trial data on the effects of medical marijuana,” says Lauren Hersch Nicholas, PhD, assistant professor in the Bloomberg School’s Department of Health Policy and Management in a press release. “While several studies point to improved pain control with medical marijuana, research has largely ignored older adults even though they experience the highest rates of medical issues that could be treated with medical marijuana.”

The study did not address why people of retirement age with access to quality cannabis would want to keep working.

 

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